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Thursday, 30 October 2014

Horrified - Descent Into Putridity (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/10/2014

Label: Memento Mori
Records

‘Descent
Into Putridity’ CD/DD track listing:

01. Tomb of
Rebirth (04:41)

02. Narcolepsy
(03:43)

03. Mortally
Deceased (03:31)

04. Descent
Into Putridity (05:05)

05. Buried
Among Putrified Flesh (04:26)

06. Veil of Souls
(05:08)

07. Repugnant
Degeneration (04:32)

Bio:

Welcome to the
darkened recesses of old school death metal. Firmly rooted in those hallowed
traditions, we have one band who twist the sickening riffs and patterns of old
even further, in their never-ending worship of the extreme. Names like Morbid
Angel, Autopsy, Pestilence, Cancer: these are the gods of a depraved group of
individuals from Newcastle, UK. Their name is Horrified.

For a start,
the band are deceptively young and fresh: mastermind Daniel Alderson started it
last year as a studio project, enrolling Sam Butterfield (guitarist of
Hieroglyph) for vocals. This resulted in the chaotic Carcinogenic Feasting
demo, which was subsequently released on local DIY label Tombs In The Valley
Productions/Torn Flesh Records. Their first ever concert was the first edition
of Byker Grave, a highly successful if brief set which is available on YouTube.

For their
début album Descent Into Putridity, Dan steps up to the microphone, and despite
being so young his vocals already resemble the throat-ripping snarls of Martin
Van Drunen (Pestilence, Asphyx) or Lars-Göran Petrov (Entombed) circa Left Hand
Path, although with Dan's own demented treatment. The band are all deceptively
young, and yet have already racked up an impressive amount of time in bands
like Plague Rider, Winds Of Genocide, Risen Prophecy and Vacivus. This lends a
maturity to their sound, yet still with the vibrant urgency that this genre
requires. The album is packed with encrusted riffs, wailing solos and pummelling
drums: this is a reminder of why people fell in love with death metal in the
first place.??

Descent Into
Putridity is scheduled for an October release via Memento Mori Records.

Horrified
is:

Dan Alderson -
Guitars/Vocals

Ross Oliver -
Guitars

Dan Hughes -
Bass

Matthew
Henderson - Drums

Review:

As
with all genres, the popularity of which bands are influential shifts as time
goes on. Amongst the more underground death metal bands, the primary
influential bands have been comprised of two main camps in recent years. On one
side there is early Incantation and Autopsy and on the other is Dismember and
Entombed. On The Incantation/Autopsy side, we have bands like Father Befouled,
Ignivomous, and Dead Congregation. On the Dismember/Entombed side we have bands
such as Black Breath, Miasmal, and Entrails. Those two camps have dominated the
more old school-minded of the last several years.

In
2014, there is a new camp developing with a set of different influences.
Specifically, I’m referring to Asphyx and Death, with the Death influence
tending to come from the pre-‘Individual Thought Patterns’ era. Two of the
year’s best albums, from Morbus Chron and Horrendous, feature these influences,
along with several others. Horrified’s debut album ‘Descent Into Putridity’
draws from similar influences, along with with making use of the Sunlight
Studios sound of Dismember. Horrified tend to focus on the uglier, simpler side
of things as compared to Horrendous’ more melodic approach. It makes for an
album that is very enjoyable, though not without its flaws.

My
primary concern is that songs all too often fall apart at slower tempos, and it
seems to be a drumming issue. The issue is exacerbated by the kick and snare
being so prominent in the mix. A prime example can be found at about the 2:20
mark on “Narcolepsy”. There is some excellent riffing going on, but it’s less
effective than it should be because the kick feels out of sync with everything
else going on in the song. There’s a lot to like on the album, but the drummer
tightening up his performance will be of crucial importance down the road. Even
slower thrash beats are tripped up by the kick either dragging or being ahead
of the downbeat, and for a band that is at this level compositionally, it
presents a problem that can’t be resolved soon enough.

With
that issue addressed, the album overcomes those mechanical shortcomings with
some powerful death metal songwriting skills. Vocally is where the Asphyx
influence is strongest, with Daniel Alderson’s style being a clear homage to
Martin van Drunen, and it’s a good fit on the whole. Horrified seem to be at
their best when in that relaxed thrash beat groove, even with the inconsistent
drumming. What makes Horrified a bit more interesting than some of the more cut
and paste old school death metal bands is their willingness to include
additional musical influences from other American death metal bands, both Florida and New
York.

With
a nicely varied songwriting style already in place and an improved drumming
performance, there is no reason we shouldn’t all be keeping Horrified in the
same company as all of the bands I mentioned earlier in the years ahead. If
nothing else, the future looks bright for them on future releases, and I would
still recommend giving this album some of your time.

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